1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to medical devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to estimating blood oxygen saturation in a patient.
2. Description of the Related Art
This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present invention, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present invention. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
Pulse oximetry may be defined as a non-invasive technique that facilitates monitoring of a patient's blood flow characteristics. For example, pulse oximetry may be used to measure blood oxygen saturation of hemoglobin in a patient's arterial blood and/or the patient's heart rate. Specifically, these blood flow characteristic measurements may be acquired using a non-invasive sensor that passes light through a portion of a patient's blood perfused tissue and photo-electrically senses the absorption and scattering of light through the blood perfused tissue. A typical signal resulting from the sensed light may be referred to as a plethysmographic waveform. Once acquired, this measurement of the absorbed and scattered light may be used with various algorithms to estimate an amount of blood constituent in the tissue. It should be noted that the amount of arterial blood in the tissue is time varying during a cardiac cycle, which is reflected in the plethysmographic waveform.
The accuracy of blood flow characteristic estimations obtained via pulse oximetry depends on a number of factors. For example, variations in light absorption characteristics can affect accuracy depending on where (e.g., finger, foot, or ear) the sensor is applied on a patient or depending on the physiology of the patient. Additionally, various types of noise and interference can create inaccuracies. For example, electrical noise, physiological noise, and other interference can contribute to inaccurate blood flow characteristic estimates. Some sources of noise are consistent, predictable, and/or minimal, while some sources of noise are erratic and cause major interruptions in the accuracy of blood flow characteristic measurements. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a system and method that continues to provide substantially accurate blood flow characteristic measurements during interference and noisy periods as well as during periods with little or no noise.